I bought the Contrail this Summer and could not be more pleased. it is light enough to leave my Big Agnes pad and bag inside, roll up everything into a stuff sack and strap it to my handle bars. Single track riding is no problem at all! ~jb

We used the Squall two person tent on a 10 day bikepacking trip in Oregon. I hung it from my handlebars, sometimes by itself and sometimes with my sleeping pad as well.

Having a tent was essential in Oregon because of the rampant mosquitoes. We didn’t have any rain, so I can’t speak to how well it would hold up in a big storm. But it seems sturdy enough, and is made of high quality materials.

It is a little tricky to set up at first. It’s designed to be used with two hiking poles for supports. You can order it with lightweight folding poles that fit neatly into the bag and easily go under the handlebars. That’s what we used. You could get away without the poles by tying it to bike and/or trees, but it was easier to just bring the poles.

One caveat: you need to be able to drive stakes into the ground. We camped in one spot where this was very difficult, so we ended up using rocks to hold it up, rather than stakes. It worked OK.

I’m very impressed with how light and small this tent is. At ~2 pounds it makes a lot of sense couples bikepacking together. Bivy/tarp setups for two people are going to weigh about that much anyway.

I’ve had a Cloudburst for a couple of years, but have used it for a total of only maybe 14 nights. I’ve been happy with it though – great size for it’s super low weight.

Anyone use/try the Black Diamond ‘Mid’ line of tents? I’ve seen/used them in the past as a climber. They work pretty well and are also light. Only one center pole required. http://www.bdel.com/gear/mega_light.php

I’ve had a Double Rainbow for over a year and I can’t say enough good things about it; it’s incredibly well thought out, very lightweight (just under a kilo with a few tweaks), very cheap for the size and quality plus you can pitch it on rocks etc. if you use trekking poles or some CF poles I ordered. It’s survived some very strong winds, thunder and rain storms, frost and my general clumsiness over several thousand miles. On top of that it’s the perfect size for my handlebars. Five stars!

I have had the Virga 2 for a number of years and really like it. Not sure if they make it any more though. It sets up very quickly. There is plenty of room in it for one person, two would by pretty tight. I find it has plenty of ventilation, but still gets some condensation as expected. I have the sewn in floor on mine and usually lay down either 2 mil plastic or some mylar as a ground cloth. Works well. One of the main things I like is their customer service. When I purchased the tent they were very helpful with several questions I had. Their response time was very fast as well. They didn’t charge me anything extra to do a rush order either.

I have used TarpTents for seven years-the Virga2 and now the Contrail. Excellent in all conditions except high side winds . Then additional guy lines and stakes needed but effective.

I used the Virga on the Divide Ride during a wet buggy year and it worked very well. the Contail is a an upgraded Virga design that is still very light and easy to carry.

Gear from small cottage makers is my preferred source for equipment. Henry Shires has quickly answered any questions by phone or e-mail. Just good designs, materials and sewing. Five stars from me or six if I could.